


The Least Relevant Katheryn

by Please No Portraits (GothAlbinoAngel)



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Beheaded Cousins, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everybody Cries, Found Family, Gen, Heavy profanity, Hurt/Comfort, Parrward if you squint, Profanity, Self-Isolation, Six is a family, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Worry, but can be read platonically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23059168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothAlbinoAngel/pseuds/Please%20No%20Portraits
Summary: Some of the lines in the show start to get to Kitty, and it doesn't help that history has painted her with such a staggering dichotomy. She convinces herself that she had no reason to come back, and sets out to rectify that mistake.
Comments: 35
Kudos: 192





	1. No One Cared When You Died

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternately named “ **I’M HAVING A BAD TIME: THE FIC** ”
> 
>  **Anon asked:** Hi, there's a line from the musical that's "No one cared when you died." It's during the fight after AYWD so I can't remember who says it to who, but if you could do that with any of the characters?  
>  **Anon asked:** Pssst! "No on cared when you died" Jane saying it to Kitty  
>  **Anon asked:** Since you like angst and Kitty so much, I should probably tell you there's a line in the musical from Jane to Kitty: "No one cared when you died!" Hope you have a nice day!
> 
> (Each and every one of you owe me a bottle of water. ~~I kid, I love all of my anons so much.~~ ) I’m going to set this in the show universe just to make things a bit easier (and also because I can’t think of something at the moment that would make Jane upset enough to say that to Kit in my Reincarnated-verse).
> 
>  **Nicknames:** Kitty – Howard, Katheryn – also Howard, Katherine – still Howard, Cathy – Parr, Catherine – Aragon (and only Aragon)  
>  **Ages:** Howard - 21, Boleyn and Cleves -23, Parr - 24, Seymour - 26, Aragon - 28

None of the queens questioned it when Kitty bought a board for her room. Nothing too extravagant, just a regular bulletin board. Cathy and Anne joked that she was going to start working on conspiracy theories with it. Kitty had laughed along with them, not daring to mention how close they were.

Most of the time, the queens tended to avoid looking themselves up. For Catherine, Jane, and Anna, it was fine, but Anne, Kitty, and Cathy had all spoken about what happened during their previous lifetimes. It had taken Anne a while to even work toward forgiving Cathy for what had happened to Elizabeth, and both of them had been livid when they found out what happened to Kitty. Even still, none of them looked up what historians had said. It was best for their mindsets if they didn’t.

Unfortunately, years after reincarnating, with the show being as successful as ever, Kitty… wanted to know. She needed to see what they were saying, see what damage had been done. She wanted to know if the message her song was giving off was the right one, was really doing good for what history told of her. So, she bought the board. She bought the board and several books on Henry VIII’s six wives. As many as she could without drawing suspicion from the other queens. If she bought too many at once, they would begin to take notice. No, Kitty worked slowly, books trickling in rather than arriving in bulk.

The trickle method was actually better for her, anyway. It gave her a little time to process what she was finding out. True to the unspoken promise, she didn’t look at any of the sections for the other queens. That was a line she refused to cross. But the sections and books on herself… That was something she needed to see.

And see she did.

_“I guess it’s not so different…”_

Historians seemed to be of two mindsets. Either she was a victim, or she was a seductress. Reading through the pages, she wondered if either were correct. She had only been thirteen when it started, so perhaps seductress wasn’t the right word. But victim? Certainly Katherine had done all she could, and of course she didn’t _want_ to be queen, but… Did that make her a victim? Was she asking for that treatment? She had omitted information from Henry that could have saved her life, had denied information that could have kept her from being beheaded. She had made it known that she and Dereham didn’t have a marriage contract, even though it could have kept her alive. But she had spent the entirety of her marriage to Henry living a lie. With the truth out in the open, she could take the reins of her life again, even if it meant ending it.

Kitty carefully cut the words from the books. She knew Cathy would probably flay her alive if she knew what Kitty was doing. Still, it couldn’t be helped. **Victim, lamb led to slaughter, hapless child.** She cut them all. Carefully, Kitty taped them together and stuck them to her board. From there, they taunted her. _This is how you’re remembered._ Kitty could practically hear the words. This was the legacy she left behind, this was what people thought of her now.

_“That was not the most heart-wrenching song we’ve heard this evening.”_

The line spun in Kitty’s mind after every show. She knew it was in the script. She knew that was what Jane was supposed to say. It didn’t make the comparison any less upsetting. Used and abused for nothing but her body. Henry didn’t even care about her enough to want a child from her since Jane had already done that for her. Was her story not sad? Was it not worth at least a moment to ponder?

Henry didn’t want her for anything but his next lay. She really shouldn’t have expected anything else. After all, what good was she to him otherwise? It’s not like he viewed her for more. Never mind the good she did _outside_ of the bedroom, the people she cared for, those she saved from his temper. All she was good for was a lay and nothing more in his eyes. His pretty little rose.

Flipping through more Tudor books, especially the ones on herself, Kitty carefully cut out more of the words, words history had used to describe her. **Vixen. Whore. Seductress.** Taping them together, she added them to the board hanging on her wall. Over and over, every book described her in similar ways. Either a victim in over her head or an adulterous liar getting what she deserved. Just how she was treated. Not what she did, but what others had done to her.

The board slowly filled with the words. Words practically tattooed across her soul at this point. This was all she was to anyone. To Mannox, to Dereham, to Henry and Culpeper, the fans and historians, to anyone. The very mention of her name was enough to draw contempt from anyone who heard it, who spoke it, who thought it. She was something to be pitied, something to be scorned. Nothing outside of her name and her word in the poem.

_“That’s so true. When you died, your son did have to grow up without a mother. Oh wait, that was me. And no one cared when YOU died!”_

Kitty could have cried after hearing that one night. She couldn’t, of course, they were right in the middle of the show. If any of the audience saw the way she flinched after it, they would just think it was part of the show. But it wasn’t. She was supposed to gasp, to be overexaggeratedly offended, it was supposed to be an act. But it wasn’t. The line stung. It hurt. It _burned_ itself into every cell of Kitty’s body.

Because it was right. Catherine had Maria and Mary to mourn her loss. Most of the country considered her their queen even after the divorce. They mourned her loss, saddened that by her death. When Anne was beheaded, Elizabeth missed her. She cried for her mother. Maggie had lost her Lady as well. Maggie would have mourned her loss even if she had to do it in secret. Jane left behind Edward. Certainly, he was likely raised by the ladies, but that still didn’t erase the fact that he never got to know his mother. He probably wondered what she was like, yearning to see her, to have been able to experience a hug from her even if just once. Anna had a sister in Cleves. And it was clear she was connected on some level to Bessie, since Bessie came back for her. Cathy had many to mourn her loss as well. Thomas Seymour, Elizabeth, and her daughter Mary. History had no idea what happened to Mary, but on the assumption she had lived past infancy… she would have been in the same state as Edward, without a mother to hold her.

They all were loved, cherished, missed. Even Anne, who was scorned by so much of the country and who had been framed for crimes she didn’t commit, had people who cared. No one batted an eye when Katherine died. Henry didn’t even show up to her execution. That’s how little she meant to him, to anyone.

_“Jane, chill out! It is NOT her fault no one remembers her bland and uneventful life.”_

Kitty stared at the board, thinking of that line. Bland and uneventful. It’s not like she did anything. History didn’t even know she existed until she was placed in court as one of Anna’s ladies. Even then, it would have forgotten her had Henry not taken interest in her. She was nothing, just one of many in the vast Howard clan. The family had several names, many more important than her own. Katherine was so young at the age of her death, she really didn’t have time to make any kind of name for herself, not one history would care about.

One of the show’s lines was right. “The only reason any of these people came out here tonight-.” “is because the same guy fell in love with us.” Kitty doubted it went as far as love, but if Henry hadn’t spotted her, had left her alone… She would have disappeared. She would be nothing. A name long forgotten among the several that history couldn’t keep up with.

One of the lines taped to her wall drew a bitter laugh from her lips. “There are no portraits confirmed to be Katheryn Howard, merely portraits confirmed _not_ to be her.” History didn’t even know what she _looked like._ Kitty dropped her head onto her knees. A faceless disgraced queen. _Nothing._

_“Look, babes, I don’t want things to be weird between us just because MY beheading was the result of years of ACTUAL trauma and humiliation. Yours, well...”_

That’s right. That’s exactly right. Anne had been pressured into marrying Henry, a pawn in the Howard clan’s bid for more power. She was smart, educated, better than Katherine in every way. She even managed to keep Henry on the ropes, denying him for years because of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

It made sense, really. Catherine, Anne, and Jane were all wrapped in a struggle during their times in court. Catherine was trying to have a son to continue the royal line, Anne was just trying to do as her father encouraged, Jane had been Catherine’s head lady at the time that she was banished from court. Jane being pursued by Henry was a way for her to get vengeance for her outcast lady, even if she didn’t know it would lead to Anne’s beheading. Anne hadn’t even wanted to be with Henry in the first place, having affection for a different Henry at the time anyway. Catherine was just passed from one king to another with hardly a say in the matter anyway. The three of them were more important, had more hardships, more to deal with.

Kitty knew it wasn’t fair to make that comparison. The whole point of their show was to get people to stop comparing them, to see them as independent factors, separate people with feelings and thoughts and problems. But she couldn’t stop the comparison. Henry had pursued her while being technically married to Anna, and it was her fault he set his eyes on Cathy.

Maybe Anne’s line was right. Anne had a lot of stress to deal with, the pressure of bearing a son, stoking Henry’s temper with her outspokenness... Of the two beheaded wives, Kitty got off luckier. Right? If it wasn’t true, they wouldn’t have put it in the show.

Staring at her board, Kitty wondered if it would have been better for her not to come back at all. Catherine was the scorned wife who had her husband stolen, Anne was the outspoken queen who lost her head, Jane was the poor mother who died before raising her son, Anna was considered a sister to the king with her wealth, property and long lifespan, and Cathy was the survivor, the one who got to see him die.

What was Kitty? The Rose Without a Thorn. Nothing.

**_“No one cared when you died!”_ **

It’s true. No one cared. No one missed Katherine. Francis died before she did and he didn’t care about her beyond grooming her into his wife. Thomas died before she did and he didn’t care about her beyond her body. Mannox didn’t care at all once he stopped having access to her. She had no children. Her parents were dead. Her siblings shunned her once the truth came to light. Her step-grandmother was all too happy to be rid of her.

No one missed her. She had no point to being brought back. She didn’t come back with anyone who would care about her. Sure, Anna was there, but she had Bessie back as well, so it’s not like Katherine mattered. If Kitty were to vanish right now, it would probably be the same as back then. No one would care, no one would notice, everyone would move on almost as soon as they found out.

The time spent in her room gradually increased. It’s not like she was really needed for anything other than the show or events related to it. And even then, all she had to do was smile and act catty. Hardly difficult. So, instead of heading down to hang with the other queens, Kitty would sit in her room and stare at the board, at the words, at her legacy.

**_“It’s not her fault no one remembers her bland and uneventful life.”_ **

Kitty tried to think of a reason why she was brought back with the others. She really did. Maybe because people would notice if one of the six was missing? Maybe because it makes no sense to bring back one through four and six, but not five? Honestly, she couldn’t think of a reason beyond the show. If the force that revived them hadn’t wanted them to get their voices out, would she have even reincarnated at all? What if a universe existed in which the show didn’t exist? Would she just… not come back? The others deserved a second chance, a chance to live their lives without Henry’s interference. Kitty was hardly important enough for a second chance at anything. In that universe, she probably never even existed.

Whenever she wasn’t staring at the board, Kitty attempted to sleep. Sleep became harder ever since she started making the board. Before, it would be nightmares about the things that happened to her. She could feel their hands in her hair, on her thighs, her waist and hips. Their whispers echoed in her mind and she could see their teeth glinting with want, with lust.

Now, though, she could barely even get to sleep at all. Their whispers were joined by the words on the board. Words flitting behind her eyelids every time she closed them, pounding through her head, practically deafening in the silence of her room. When she did manage to sleep, the words would just jolt her back awake again, repeating over and over.

Her makeup supply was suffering because of it. Covering the bags under her eyes took care and effort. She didn’t want the other queens to worry about it. And they would worry if they saw them, but Kitty didn’t want that. Her sleep schedule wasn’t really something to fret over. They had the show, their new lives, to focus on. She wasn’t worth the effort.

Whenever she could make her way from her room when they didn’t have a show to do, it wasn’t to eat or spend time with her fellow queens. It was to walk to the water. The sound of the river was the only thing that drowned out the words, the voices, the taunts and mocking. The river understood her better than anyone. The marks it left behind were hardly even thought about by the people crossing it. If the river were to dry, people would notice the marks left behind because nothing would come along to cover them. Had Katherine done something noteworthy, Cathy wouldn’t have needed to take her place. Instead, just like the bed under the river, Katherine had been mostly forgotten.

Maybe it was better that way. Maybe it would _be_ better that way.

Staring at the water below, Kitty’s vision blurred slightly. Not from tears, but from the staring, from just watching the water. Underneath it, she would disappear all over again. Even if the water swept her away, she would be gone, nothing. If she sank to the bed, no one would notice because the water would hide her like it does the river’s scars.

She thought about that on the way back to the house. All of the other queens had something. Catherine had Maria, Anne had Maggie, Jane had Joan, Anna had Bessie, and Cathy had her books, the fans, and the other queens. They would all be fine without her.

Yes, they would be fine without her.

February started just as cold as ever. Chills floated through the air, occasional snowfall covered the sidewalks. Kitty figured that was as much of a sign as anything. The date would be the same as before. If she chose a different day, the few people who might look into it could get confused. She would hate to make it harder for anyone.

The week of the thirteenth, Kitty printed a script of the show. She had to complete her board. It wouldn’t be complete without the latest lines of her history. Carefully, she cut out Anne’s “Yeah, no, I still don’t care”, Jane’s “No one cared when you died”, Anne’s two lines after that one. Along with those… Kitty looked at the lyrics for the songs. “Prick up your ears, I’m the Katherine who lost her head (beheaded) for my promiscuity outside of wed” from Ex-Wives should go up as well. A reminder.

The last piece came from the true queen herself. Printed in a bigger font size than everything else on the board, Kitty taped it to the very top, almost as if it were a title. And indeed, it probably was. Her own title from the paragon of royalty among them.

_The least relevant Katheryn._

February 12th passed unbelievably slowly, but far too fast. Kitty couldn’t write a goodbye letter, not by hand. If she did it by hand, she might smudge the ink. She wanted it to be as easy as possible. They would probably stick it in a drawer and forget about it once they read it, but it was only right she do it properly. So, just like the script, she printed out her letter. Kitty was careful while folding it, sealing it in an envelope and writing the names of her fellow queens as neatly as she could.

She set the letter on the freshly made bed. Beside it, she put the first stuffed animal she had ever received. A pale pink bear from Cathy to help her with nightmares. Seeing a random stuffed animal in the middle of the bed was the best way to draw attention to the letter. As the sun sank below the horizon, Kitty sighed. She couldn’t call for a chopping block this time, couldn’t practice her death. At the same time, she didn’t need to. There was no reason to practice a dignified death since it wouldn’t be a public execution. Instead, she could just sit and wait for the sun to rise.

Everything was set, now she just had to wait. The other queens hadn’t really come by to check on her tonight. They hadn’t come by to check on her after the first few times she assured them she was fine. They didn’t need to worry. It would be wasted on her.

Once midnight hit, Kitty figured it was safe. Jane and Catherine would be fast asleep, Anna and Anne would be immersed in whatever they were doing in their rooms, and Cathy would be completely lost to the world as she worked on a new story. No one would notice her leaving.

With feather-light footsteps, Kitty slipped down to the first landing. She knew it was cold outside, but she didn’t bother putting on her shoes or jacket. She’d prefer they go to someone who needed them than be stuck on her corpse for the rest of deterioration. She left her house key hanging by the door. She wouldn’t need it anymore. They could use it as a spare or something.

The front door barely even clicked as she closed it behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried so much while writing this chapter. Didn't help that I was sick at the time. This was so brutal. To be continued in chapter two!


	2. K Howard is Here and the Fun's Begun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The queens jump into action when they realize Kitty's gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternately named: **I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING OKAY?? MY EYES ARE WATERY CAUSE I’M SICK, KAREN!!**
> 
> Here’s the next bit. Also, the people who owed me one water bottle? Yeah, you fuckers owe me two now. ~~Again, I kid, I love you all.~~
> 
>  **Nicknames:** Kitty – Howard, Katheryn – also Howard, Katherine – still Howard, Cathy – Parr, Catherine – Aragon (and only Aragon)  
>  **Ages:** Howard - 21, Joan - 22 Boleyn and Cleves -23, Parr and Maggie - 24, Bessie - 25, Seymour and Maria - 26, Aragon - 28

“I’m telling you, Jane, there’s something _wrong_ with her.”

Cathy knew she was being dramatic, she knew this was usually Anne’s area of expertise, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. She wasn’t an empath or anything like that, no clairvoyance, she wasn’t a pagan (probably). She just… felt something wrong. And it had to do with Kitty. 

Jane sighed. She’d been listening to Cathy rant about it for a few hours and it was probably long past midnight by now. Jane didn’t know why Cathy had come to _her_ instead of one of the other two people likely still awake, but considering Cathy left her writing to talk with Jane about her worries, Jane wouldn’t turn her away without hearing her out. She just wished it had waited until they’d all woken up in the morning.

“Cathy, are you _sure_ it’s not just her coming down sick?” she asked. “She seemed fine when I went to check on her earlier today.”

“But she _always_ seems fine!” Cathy pointed out, being careful to keep her voice down so she didn’t wake anyone else. “She always seems fine and bouncy and happy, but doesn’t it _bother_ you that we never _see_ her anymore?”

“She’s still young,” Jane rationalized. “Maybe she just wants her space.”

“She won’t let any of us see her room, either, though,” Cathy tried. “She won’t even let you in to clean it!”

“Maybe she’s taking that responsibility on herself,” Jane said. “She might be cleaning it herself so that we don’t intrude on her sanctuary.”

Cathy could not _believe_ it was this difficult to convince Jane that something was wrong. It wasn’t like Cathy was talking about _Anne_. “This isn’t _Kitty_ , Jane!” she hissed in frustration, slapping a hand over her eyes. “Something is _wrong_ with her. _Something_ isn’t right. Anna and Anne think so too, you know. She’s _hiding_ something!”

Jane’s eyes narrowed. “What are you insinuating?” she asked, a bit defensively.

“I don’t know, but maybe I _am_ if it gets you to _think_ about it a little!” Cathy hated this. It was two in the morning and they were only getting somewhere because Jane was slightly offended that Cathy had said something even _slightly_ wrong about Kitty. If that’s what it took, then so be it. “I don’t know _what_ it is, but there’s something she’s keeping quiet, something she doesn’t want us to _see, to **know!**_ ”

“Or maybe you’re projecting onto her.” Jane raised an eyebrow and Cathy’s temper flared a moment before she forced it back.

“I’m _not_ projecting,” Cathy growled out.

Jane threw her hands up. She wanted to sleep. They didn’t have a show tomorrow, the least Cathy could do was let her rest. “Fine! How about we just go ask her?”

“ _Finally!_ ” Cathy threw her fists up in victory. “Come on, let’s go! We’ll let the others rest for now, but we have to _try!_ ”

It occurred to Jane that this may have been Cathy’s ploy all along, but if it got her to her bed sooner, she’d follow along. Honestly, Cathy had been spending far too much time with Anna and Anne. Hairbrained schemes were hardly the resident scholar’s usual forte.

Cathy bounded across the hall, ready to put an end to this unease once and for all. Either Kitty told them what was up or Cathy would just make a point of checking on her more often. They couldn’t let this continue or she would make herself sick. Checking to make sure Jane had followed, Cathy took a deep breath and knocked at Kitty’s door.

No answer.

Cathy’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion and she checked her watch. Jane’s clock was an hour slow. It was three thirty in the morning. Kitty would usually have had a nightmare by now. She knocked again. Still no answer.

Well, in instances like this, there was only one thing to do. Carefully, Cathy opened the door and peeked her head inside. No one was in there. Where could Kitty have gotten to this late? Cathy pushed the door open further and spotted the bear on the bed. Heading over, she began to investigate.

Despite her disapproval at Cathy invading Kitty’s privacy like this, Jane crept in as well. It _was_ strange that their little Kat wasn’t in her room at this hour. Especially since there wasn’t any sound from the kitchen or living room to indicate she’d gone downstairs, and the bathroom door was open. While Cathy headed for the bed, something else caught Jane’s eye and she turned on the light to get a better look.

It was a board. Kitty’s board.

Words, phrases, sentences and images had been taped together and hung on the board. Some of them were underlined or circled. Jane’s heart sank when she spotted some of her lines from the show on the board, circled in black. Anne’s were there, too, underlined in green. Tears slipped down Jane’s cheeks when she saw the top of the board. _The least relevant Katheryn_ underlined in yellow with a small crown drawn over it.

“Oh, Kitty,” Jane whispered.

This was why she didn’t want any of them in her room. She didn’t want them to see how much she was hurting. How many hours did this take? How much longer had she been up here, alone with just herself and these words? Jane’s eyes fell to the floor and she found stacks of books underneath the board. Books about the queens, about Kitty. Shakily lifting one, she thumbed through it. Each section involving the queens before her were marked with a sticky note reading ‘DO NOT READ’ in big letters. But the section on Kitty looked like a shredder had been taken to it. Entire chunks missing from pages. Flipping to Cathy’s section only yielded another sticky note like the ones before.

She just wanted the sections on herself.

“Jane.”

Cathy’s voice sounded strained. Jane spun toward the bed and found Cathy holding… a letter? “What’s that?”

“Jane, we have to go.” Cathy’s hands shook and she practically leaped toward the door. “We have to go _now!”_

Jane hurried after her and found Cathy slamming her fist against Anne’s bedroom door. “ANNE! GET OUT HERE!”

“Jeez, Cath, way to wake the whole house,” Anne grumbled, swinging her door open. “What’s the-.” She found a piece of paper shoved into her hands without a word. Cathy raced past Jane, bypassing her godmother’s opening door and heading for the stairs.

“What’s all the noise?” Catherine demanded irritably.

Anne ignored her, reading the paper in her hands. Oh fuck. _Oh **fuck!**_ “We have to go!” she shouted, passing the paper off to Jane as she followed Cathy’s path down the stairs. “Get your shoes and coats, we have to _go!_ ”

Downstairs, Cathy slammed her whole body against Anna’s door. “ANNA! COME ON, WE HAVE TO GO!”

“Was zur Hölle ist los?” Anna growled, swinging her door open. As soon as she was in view, Cathy darted for the front door. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Kitty’s _gone!_ ” Anne screamed.

That was all the explanation Anna needed to head after her. Not even bothering with shoes, she just grabbed her coat and followed after Cathy. Upstairs, Catherine and Jane read over the letter in its entirety, shock and horror frozen on their faces.

“She-.” Jane choked. “I didn’t-.”

“She’s going to be cold when they get her back,” Catherine said quickly. “We need to make sure they can warm her up.”

Jane gave a jerky nod and accompanied her down the stairs. “She…” She swallowed. “She has a board… upstairs. We thought- It was just sup- supposed to be for fun, but she- All of history-!”

“Jane, sit,” Catherine urged her. Jane was the most faint-hearted of them all. She would definitely not be taking this very well. Catherine helped her sit at the kitchen table. “Deep breaths, mija. Deep breaths, come on.”

Jane tried to do as instructed, broken sobs filtering from her lips as she tried to control her breathing. How much had they missed? How much was she hurting and they didn’t even know it? What if the others didn’t get to her in time? “What if she’s gone?” Jane sobbed.

“Don’t think like that,” Catherine told her sternly. “They’ll get her. Dawn isn’t for another few hours. They’ll make it.”

 _They’ll make it_. The two remaining queens had to believe that. They had to believe their friends would come home and their number would still be complete.

At the river, Kitty had long-since stopped shivering. Yes, it was cold, but she’d become numb. She couldn’t feel her feet or her fingers or her lips. It had been a few hours, so she would probably end up with pneumonia or something. She snorted. No she wouldn’t. The dead knew no sickness.

Checking her watch, she sighed. It was only a quarter to four. Maybe she should find a shop or something to wait in. At least then she could spend her last few hours in relative comfort before the river wiped her from existence. Did she deserve that, though? Even if she didn’t, who would know? It’s not like the late night café workers would blink twice at her and beyond them, no one but the other queens would even know she was here.

Kitty looked down at her hands. She could count the veins running under the skin, branching out in places. She wondered what those palm readers would say about the lines. Her death line was probably super short. It was better that way, better this way.

So numb to everything around her, Kitty didn’t even notice the sound of rushing footsteps coming toward her.

Cathy led the pack through the streets. Anyone outside stared at them in bewilderment, but the three queens ignored them. Kitty had said exactly where she would be, no doubt assuming she would be long gone by the time they went looking for her. Cathy wasn’t going to let that happen. Anne wasn’t going to let that happen. Anna would _die_ before she let that happen. All of them pounded down the sidewalk toward the river bridge.

Anne, having the best night sight, spotted her first. “She’s there,” Anne called up to Cathy. Cathy didn’t slow. She couldn’t. If Kitty realized they were there, she might speed up her timetable. Cathy couldn’t let her do that. So she didn’t slow. No, the sixth of the queens pushed herself faster, breath fogging in the winter air as she made a beeline directly for her missing housemate.

Kitty gave a grunt as a body slammed into her. She leaned against the railing to steady herself and the weight against her pushed her a bit further over than she would have liked this soon. It was supposed to be at sunrise. Sunrise on the thirteenth, her execution date, her death day. Well, if some random person needed her gone before then, Kitty supposed she couldn’t argue. She doubted it made that much of a difference at this point anyway.

Before she could fully propel herself over, though, another body slammed at her, this time from the other side. Anne had seen Cathy’s trajectory and had passed Kitty to make a U-turn and stop them from falling into the water. She wrapped her arms around them both and spun into Anna’s waiting collision.

Kitty blinked. She smelled ink and paper and coffee. Odd. That was Cathy’s scent. Kitty knew it by heart. Why would Cathy be here, though?

“ ** _YOU FUCKING BITCH!_** ”

And that was _definitely_ Anne’s voice. Kitty tried to think through the cold as she looked up at the faces of the people holding her. Anna looked scared to death, panting and wild-eyed as she stared at Kitty. Anne had tears running down her cheeks, her lips twisting into a snarl as her eyes narrowed in absolute rage. And Cathy… Cathy looked devastated. She was crying too, but she looked so sad. Kitty never wanted any of her fellow queens to be sad.

“You’re early,” she said quietly, looking around at them all.

“KATHERINE HOWARD, IF YOU WERE ANYONE ELSE I’D _FUC **KING**_ **_STRANGLE YOU RIGHT NOW!_** ” Anne screamed. “WE ARE GOING HOME **_RIGHT NOW_** AND YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR FEET IN SOME FUCKING _HOT WATER_ AND WE ARE GOING TO **_TALK ABOUT THIS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!_** ”

Kitty’s eyelids creaked as she blinked at them. They shouldn’t be here. She checked her watch in confusion. Then she looked at the sky. Then she checked her watch again. And she looked at them. She blinked again.

“You’re early,” she repeated in confusion.

“She’s in shock,” Anna said, pulling them all away from the rail. “She’s probably freezing. Gimme your jackets, we gotta keep’er warm.”

Cathy and Anne were quick to hand over their jackets, wrapping them around Kitty’s shaking form. Anna lifted Kitty into her arms in the hopes of keeping any more heat from being sapped by the ground. The three of them kept as close together as they could as they transported Kitty home. With any luck, some of their body heat would rub off on her and help her warm up.

Catherine paced the kitchen as she waited for their wayward souls to return. She had made tea, but it didn’t calm her nerves like it usually would. Jane had taken her upstairs to see the board in Kitty’s room and Catherine had nearly broken at seeing the title. She didn’t- She hadn’t known it had hurt that much. She loved Kitty just as much as she did the others. She would _never_ want her to think otherwise.

Jane stared at the wall opposite. She’d texted Joan, Bessie, and Maggie. She knew they were probably dead asleep by this point, but she needed to do _something_. And… and on the- on the off chance the others… _failed_ … she wanted the Ladies to- she didn’t want them to find out from the news. A text was hardly better, but at least it was coming from the queens directly.

Neither of them had spoken since the others had raced out the door and the silence was killing them. They jumped when the front door slammed open and Catherine moved to the sink. “Bring her in here!” she called, lifting the tub of water and setting it near one of the chairs.

Anna hurried in and sat Kitty in the chair, gently placing her feet in the warm water. Kitty shivered terribly, her lips blue. Jane quickly turned up the thermostat to help her warm up. Cathy stayed by Kitty’s side while Anne prowled the kitchen, looking every bit like a caged animal. She didn’t take her eyes from her cousin the entire time, refusing to let Kitty out of her sight.

“She has a board upstairs,” Catherine whispered. “The board… it has words and phrases cut from her sections of history books. And… and some of the lines… from the show. They’re on there too.”

Anne slammed her fist into the wall, her shoulders shaking terribly. “What the _fuck!_ ” she hissed quietly, pulling her hand from the plaster. “ _What the fuck!_ ”

Anna disappeared up the stairs. She was back moments later with Kitty’s board and she sat it on the kitchen table so they could all see it. Anne glared at it, willing it to catch fire just from the heat of her gaze. She would _burn it_ for the pain it’s caused her cousin.

“How did it come to this?” Anna whispered, staring at all of the words on the board.

Kitty, slightly more aware now that she was warming up, shrugged. “It’s true.”

Anne’s fist made contact with the wall again and Catherine shot her a glare. Anne didn’t care, though. She rounded on her cousin. Her voice wasn’t booming like it had been by the river. No, now it rasped, it forced itself up her closed windpipe, as she practically spat, “That’s _fuckin’ bullshit!_ ”

“Is it?” Kitty muttered, making them all stop and stare at her. “I didn’t _do_ anything, I wasn’t _worth_ anything. There was no _point_ in me being brought back. Catherine of Aragon, the scorned wife forced to die in isolation. Anne Boleyn, the beheaded queen, framed for crimes she didn’t commit. Jane Seymour, the deceased mother, the only one who Henry might have actually loved had she lived to watch her son grow. Anna of Cleves, the only wife to live a long, full, happy life. Catherine Parr, the writer, the one who fought for equality, women’s autonomy, the one who got to see Henry die, the _survivor_.”

She looked over to the board. “And Katherine Howard, the rose without a thorn, the victim, the seductress, the adulterous _whore_ history forgot about just as quickly as her own family did.”

The pain in her voice was unmistakable. It made Anna and Cathy flinch. Anne resisted the urge to put another hole in the wall as she clenched and unclenched her fists. Jane and Catherine watched the sadness in Kitty’s eyes.

“You’re more than that, aren’t you?” Cathy asked quietly. Like Anne’s, her voice rasped up her throat. “You were just as phenomenal of a queen as the rest of us.”

Brown eyes connected to one another and Kitty shook her head. “No.”

“ _Yes,_ ” Anna piped up now. “ _Yes, you were._ You cared about _everyone_ , you stopped Henry from beheading people just because he _could_. You were a ray of _sunshine_ whenever you walked into a room. _You left an impression on **everyone**_ , including me.”

Kitty shook her head again and reached over to the board. Without a word, she tapped the line she had circled from Jane. NO ONE CARED WHEN YOU DIED. Jane dropped her head into her hands as more tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn’t think- she hadn’t expected the line to hurt that much.

“I cared.”

As expected, the line came from Anna. The unexpected part was that it also came from Cathy. She stared up at Kitty intensely, not blinking. “I cared,” she repeated. “I cared when I heard news of your imprisonment, I cared when I heard Henry had created a law specifically to kill you, and I cared when I watched your head roll off the chopping block.”

Anna bit her lip and whispered, “I missed you every time I had to come to court and couldn’t see you. I hated being there without you, hated seeing *Thomas’ face every time I entered the building. It should have been his head on the block, not yours.” She reached over to Kitty’s hand. “I cared, Schatzie.”

“And guess what?” Anne spoke up. “We _all_ would’ve cared if we’d been too late.”

Kitty blinked at her. “What?”

“You _stupid **asshole!**_ ” Anne snapped, pushing off the wall and stalking closer. “What the _fuck_ were you expecting our reactions to be when we woke up in the morning and found your room empty? Found that stupid fuckin’ note on your bed? Found out we were too late to _save you?_ Did you think we wouldn’t have _cared?_ ”

Kitty lowered her head and that was all the answer they needed. Anna pressed her fists against her eyes as tears streaked down her cheeks. Audible sobs filtered from between Jane’s fingers and Catherine turned to grip the sink. Cathy and Anne were the only ones to keep their eyes on Kitty.

“Anna would’ve been _devastated_ ,” Cathy whispered. “You were her _best friend_ in court and she was _elated_ to see you alive and well again. We’ve _all_ grown close to you.”

“We woulda fuckin’ cried!” Anne snarled. “We all woulda fuckin’ cared if you’d just up and disappeared. You weren’t even going to say _goodbye!_ ” She stopped in front of Kitty now and leaned down to grip her shoulders. Kitty flinched, but Anne didn’t stop, pulling her to her feet so they could look one another in the eyes. “You’re my _cousin!_ I never even got to _meet you_ in the previous life and you were just gonna fuckin’ _leave!_ Hell yeah, I woulda cared!”

“But-.”

“ _No!_ ” Anne shouted. “ _No buts!_ No ifs, ands, _or_ buts, that’s _it!_ _I would’ve **cared!** NO strings attached._” She gritted her teeth and her grip tightened on Kitty’s shoulders before she just brought Kitty into a hug. “God, you’re so fuckin’ _stupid!_ We could’ve _lost_ you, you… you… you absolute _dumbass!_ ”

Before Kitty could respond, a crash sounded from the front door and hurried footsteps raced into the house. Four blurs raced passed the kitchen before skidding to a stop. Joan rushed into the kitchen and practically _threw_ herself at Anne and Kitty.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!” she shouted, nearly toppling them all. “ARE YOU INSANE? YOU GAVE MARIA A HEART ATTACK!”

“We were _fuckin’ worried!_ ” Maggie gasped, clutching her side as she stood in the kitchen entrance beside Bessie and Maria. “What in the eight circles of hell could have _possibly_ made you think this was a good idea?!”

Anna and Cathy lifted the board for them to see and all of the Ladies stared at it, eyes bulging. “YOU’RE BANNED FROM READING!” Bessie shouted. She strode over and took hold of the board, tucking it under her arm as if that would keep it out of Kitty’s reach. “I MEAN IT! STOP DOING THAT!”

“Mija, why would you _do_ this?” Maria whispered, looking over the board.

Kitty untangled herself from Anne and Joan and shuffled over to Bessie. Just like before, she simply tapped Jane’s line. This time, she also tapped Anne’s ‘just because my beheading was the result of years of actual trauma and humiliation’ and Catherine’s ‘The Least Relevant Katheryn’.

“If you were _anyone_ else, I’d fuckin’ slap you,” Maggie growled.

“That’s what I said,” Anne huffed.

“What, you were just gonna jump into the river because of what a bunch’a numbskulls said?” Bessie demanded. “Newsflash, Leaps-a-lot, **_we_** _would’ve cared!_ ”

“ _Also_ what I said!” Anne repeated.

Joan crossed her arms at Kitty. “It’s true, though,” she said in as level a voice as she could. “You’re more than just those _words_. You know it and we know it. So what if history painted you that way? You get to show the populace who you are _now_. You get ot be fun and playful and catty. You don’t have to worry about anyone using you and throwing you away, not with us around.” She pulled Kitty back into a hug. “You’re so _stupid_. Each and every one of us would have cared had you jumped.”

Kitty gave a heavy sigh and sank against Joan. Joan always gave the best hugs. “I just… I don’t even know how it started. One minute, everything was fine and then… after the show one day, I just… I guess I couldn’t take it. An-and when I started… I couldn’t stop until… until the board was this.”

“You should have _said_ something,” Maggie told her gently. “You’re _so_ much more than those words, Katty. You’re more than a victim or a seductress or whatever they say. You’re a _person_ , just as much as all of us.”

“And you’re not alone,” Maria added, wrapping both her and Joan in a hug. “We’re _all_ here for you, Chiquita. We won’t turn our backs on you like your past family. We’re _here_.”

Tears slipped down Kitty’s cheeks as the other joined the hug and her chest heaved with sobs. “I’m sorry,” she sniffed. “It just felt like so much and… and the words… it’s what they all think…”

“But it’s not what _we_ think,” Anna told her. “And we know ya a ton more than those historians ever will.”

Kitty nodded. She was so stupid to think they wouldn’t care. “ _Don’t fool yourself,_ ” a voice hissed. “ _It’s just a façade._ ” No. No the queens and the ladies cared about her, just like she cared about them.

“Since it’s a no-show day,” Jane said quietly from within the giant hug. “How about we all stay in? I’m sure we could all use some more rest.”

Anna and Anne took off for the rest of the house to grab stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets. Maggie, Bessie, and Joan headed out to grab snacks and drinks from a 24-hour nearby. Catherine guided them all into the living room. Cathy stayed by Kitty’s side, not letting her go. Jane took notice and sucked in a deep breath.

“Cathy?” she called, making Cathy glance over as she sat Kitty on one of the couches. “I’m sorry for brushing off your concerns the way I did. It’s only thanks to you we… Thanks to you, we weren’t too late.”

Cathy reached up and brought Jane down on her other side. “It’s okay, Jane. None of us could ever have expected this. But… from now on…” She shot Kitty a look and pulled the still-bundled Kittycicle against her. “From now on, we’ll make _sure_ you know how much we love you, Kitten,” she said quietly. “You’re one of us. We’re not complete, not _six_ without you. Remember my line from the song?”

Kitty’s eyebrows furrowed for a second. “I don’t need your love-.”

“-all I need is Six,” Cathy finished with her. “It’s not Six without you. We care about you, Katherine. And that won’t change, no matter what those stupid history books say. I promise.”

Kitty leaned her head on Cathy’s shoulder as Anna and Anne returned with their arms full and began creating a nest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’ll… I’ll try not to let them get to me like that again.”

“We’re here for you, babe,” Anna told her gently, squeezing her hand before getting back to work.

“We always will be,” Catherine added. “We’re a family. Family needs _everyone_.”

 _The Least Relevant Katheryn._ No. There was no relevancy here. She was important to them, just as important to them as they were to her. Those words didn’t mean anything, not when she had her queens and her ladies. Her eyes closed as the sun began to peek over the horizon. That’s right. They were all important, they all cared.

No one questioned it later that day when sounds of wood breaking and the smell of smoke filtered from the backyard. Kitty did watch the bonfire from her window, though, smiling as Maggie and Anna tossed alcohol into the flames to stoke them higher. She wouldn’t mourn the loss of her old board. Instead, Cathy had bought her a new one. At the top of this one, it didn’t read _The Least Relevant Katheryn_. Cathy had carefully printed and cut the words, _K Howard is Here and the Fun’s Begun._ Right below it, was a picture of the entire cast together for a group shot, Ladies included.

It was their promise to her. To show her that she mattered. To show her _that they cared._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Thomas = Thomas Howard, Katherine and Anne’s uncle in court
> 
> I wrote both parts in a single night and drank three water bottles to get me through it. This was brutal on me, but I hope you all like it anyway! I tried to do it justice (and I’ve never written anything lengthy while sick. This is nearly 8000 words, so I hope it’s alright).


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